The Eyes in the Forest
by NeoRyu777
Summary: A response to a challenge from my coworkers, a possible evolutionary history of the Ewoks that paves the way for Ewok-related carnage in later chapters. Rated M for future gore.
1. Evolution of the Ewok

Before anyone says ANYTHING, this thing is the reason why I'm late on my update of "A Protector's Pride". The guys at work AND my wife ganged up on me to write this thing based on a rather hilarious idea regarding the Ewoks.

So, I do not take credit for the idea, and it took quite some time to research fully (I try not to contradict canon too much). Anyway, hope you enjoy.

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Chapter 1: Evolution of the Ewok

Jacob Pluckett looked at the data he'd painstakingly acquired disbelievingly. He was a well-known historian throughout the Republic, having written what was largely accepted as the best historical account of the Rebellion. He'd interviewed several of the legendary heroes for that work: Luke Skywalker, the Jedi Master who was in the process of resurrecting the Jedi Order; Han and Leia Solo, infamous pilot of the _Millennium Falcon_ and Luke's sister respectively… many, many others. There were many heroes in those years, and Jacob did not like to think of how many of those heroes had died with their stories yet untold.

Having written so much about the war, Jacob had decided to take a break and look into the histories of the Ewoks, a small, primitive, humanoid people who resided on the forest moon of Endor. The Ewoks were well known throughout the galaxy for being a crucial force in the battle against the Imperial forces, but it was also known that their people had not even reached past the stone age of technology! How could it be that such a primitive race had been able to do what they had?

Jacob had had a hunch that the answer lied somewhere in the Ewok's past, their nature. What had they evolved from? Given their tribal, community-oriented culture, it seemed logical that they had perhaps had similar roots to humans, who were much the same especially in those early years, so Jacob had pursued that path, with a translator droid on hand to convert Ewokese into Galactic Standard. But what the historian had found completely destroyed that theory.

Though their history was not yet written consistently, the Ewok tribes had legends, myths, folklore, and any historian worth their salt knew that such things frequently had a basis in truth. So Jacob had listened to their stories, writing them down for future analyzing, and these stories were what he was looking at again right now.

It seemed that the Ewoks had once been solitary creatures, but that something nigh-cataclysmic had happened that forced them to band together. The core details from the stories told by different tribes all across that world were the same: food had become increasingly scarce, and Ewoks had been forced to fight each other for the right to survive. Those who had banded together formed the various tribes that could now be found across the moon.

Jacob took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses, looking over his notes again. _Protection in numbers, indeed, _he mused. The oral histories indicated that after a few more decades, there were relatively few Ewoks left, mostly those who had formed tribes and communities. This allowed the moon to recover sufficiently for the inhabitants to work out a balance, led by those who were in touch with nature.

"And today, those Ewoks are known as shamans, and they are highly secretive," Jacob muttered aloud, connecting the dots as he wrote. "They led their people to new sources of food – high in the trees where they had not been able to go before, or far into the lakes and seas. And they established a nature-based religion to keep it from ever happening again. Alright, that seems fairly straightforward."

But there was one thing bugging Jacob: there had been no mention anywhere of natural enemies, and the time he'd spent with the Ewoks had been rather peaceful. It was plain to see that they were the dominant species on the moon, but for the life of him Jacob could not see how that could be. There were many larger predators, though they were unable to reach the Ewok tribes due to their remote villages, and they should have been able to keep the Ewoks from being able to grow to such a point that they had exhausted the moon's food supply. Nature had a knack for balance: everything had a counter. If one group of animals grew too plentiful, then its natural predator would thrive until the prey diminished, at which point the predator too would diminish. That was the way of an ecosystem.

_Wait, the Ewoks are omnivorous. Assuming that was the case even then, that means that they could hold their own… even against those larger than them. _That was a scary thought; the tiny little bear-like creatures had evolved from vicious and efficient killers. And they were beginning to develop technology…

Jacob's eyes widened when he remembered that a large part of their community centered on warriors, who decorated themselves with trophies of their kills. It was beginning to become apparent just how the Ewoks had been able to terrorize the Imperialists and help the Rebels drive them out. They were able to use any weapon at their disposal without hesitation. Teeth, claws, hand-held weapons… there was nothing holding them back save their own leaders.

Morbidly, Jacob wondered what would happen if they didn't have the 'enlightened' leaders guiding them into peaceful society… and then paled when he distinctly remembered reading the reports about how frequently Ewoks are kidnapped and kept as slaves or pets by those wealthy enough to afford them. He didn't dare mention it to the tribe leaders; Jacob could no longer say with absolute confidence that he'd be able to leave alive if he did.

_I need to get off this moon. Now! _

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There were a few different ways this prologue could have gone, but Star Wars isn't my usual genre, and I'm actually quite busy nowadays.

Anyway, the idea, as you probably have figured out, is that Ewoks are descended from one of the most vicious, efficient, resilient omnivorous predators out there - the honey badger. Look it up. I dare you. The honey badger can take multiple bites from some of the most venomous snakes out there, be knocked out for a few hours, wake up and then EAT the damn snake. Highly intelligent, able to use tools, very resilient... No animal wants to tangle with this.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed!


	2. Start of a Journey

Per my coworker's request, I've posted another chapter. Looks like it's gonna be a whole story... Anyway, on we go.

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Chapter 2: Start of a Journey

Jorak had been very young when he was captured by the slave traders. Young, cocky, talented and enthusiastic, the Ewok had only just managed his first solo kill when the slavers ambushed him and his friends. Jorak had had high ambitions to be the lead warrior in his tribe, the Shadowy Thorn tribe, and then build the best hut he could, and marry a beautiful but strong female.

Jorak clung to that idea as he was shuttled off to a slaver camp to be sold to the highest bidder. He couldn't speak Galactic Standard like his captors, but he soon learned to identify a few key words by paying close attention to the droid as it translated between them. His weapons had been taken from him upon capture, as had every other Ewok's. But Jorak held strong to the belief that he and the other Ewoks could kill the humans who had captured them, if given the slightest chance. The problem was that most of the others were little more than woklings… scared and largely helpless, having just acquired their hoods and being way out of their depth.

"Are you ok, Kirit?" he asked quietly after his best friend returned from what looked like a very brutal punishment for what was, according to the droid, disrespecting his betters.

"I'm fine; I'll heal."

"Did you see anything we could use as weapons?"

"If we could surprise them, we could take their strange things that shoot light and kill them," Kirit murmured. "But everything else that I touched wouldn't move, like they were rooted to the ground like a strong tree. How about on this end? Do we know how to get past the magic wall of pain?"

"Not yet…" Jorak bared his teeth in frustration. Much as he hated to admit it, the humans had obviously had much experience in keeping his kind captured.

"Would you look at that?" one of the humans asked amusedly, seeing the Ewok's snarl. "Looks like we haven't broken the spirit out of that one yet. I suppose it's your turn, Paul."

Paul was a large, fit, darkly-skinned man with black hair and azure eyes, and he was frowning at Jorak in thought. "I'm not sure we'll be able to break that one, Earl. He's had beatings as least as much as the others, and he always fights back. I think we might need to make an example out of him."

"Aw, seriously? An Ewok like that can fetch a good price in certain places, you know. Maybe he just likes to fight. I'm sure we can find a betting ring for Ewok matches."

Paul shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Too much time, too many chances for an Ewok to escape. They're deceptively strong, you know. Like little bears, really. And one that can't or won't give up is more trouble than its worth."

"If you say so. I'll go ask the boss."

Paul watched Jorak, who met his eyes and bared his teeth again. "I will get loose from here," Jorak promised. "And then you will die as painful a death as I can imagine."

"Sir, the prisoner is making threats on your life," the droid reported.

"Hmph. There's no way it can get out. Tell it to go ahead and try, that its execution will be scheduled shortly." Paul turned around and began monitoring the messages on the console.

Jorak snarled in response when he got the message. "Coward!"

"Listen!" Plon, one of the other Ewoks from a different tribe who had been captured shortly before Jorak had, whispered to the outraged Ewok hastily. He was young, but rather clever and inquisitive – Jorak had immediately assigned him to trying to figure out how to counteract the strange barrier. "I believe we have a way to get a couple of us through the magic wall."

"What is it?"

Plon pointed up towards the ceiling, where there was a thin thing glowing above where the fence was. "I think the wall is more like a waterfall. If one were to block the painful magic from above, then the Ewok below would be able to get through. If we can get one of us through, we can shut it off from in there." Plon pointed discreetly towards the console he'd seen the humans touch when manipulating the strange invisible boundary. "The problem is that whoever is above will probably die."

Jorak nodded curtly. "It's a good plan. We need to hurry– there's only one human here right now, but we don't know when that will change. So who will carry who?"

"You should be the one to go," Kirit suggested. "You're the only one of us who has managed to kill something by yourself… you've got the best chance."

"Use me," an older voice suggested firmly. This Ewok had been captured before Jorak had, and had never given his name. He was old and battle-scarred… enough so that his left leg was a stump a short ways below the knee. When questioned about it by one of the younger Ewoks, the old warrior had explained that a friend of his had been clever enough to attach a strong wooden branch to his stump with vines, cutting it to the right size so the warrior could still get around and be an effective member of his tribe.

However, the artificial leg had been taken away so as to cripple the once proud warrior. "Use me as your shield," the old one said again, being supported by another Ewok so he could approach. "I am useless to you without my leg. Let me have this last honor."

Jorak nodded. "Thank you. I will use you as my shield. I will make your sacrifice is honored when the story of our return is told."

The old Ewok nodded determinedly. "Then let's go. Good hunting!"

"Good hunting," Jorak agreed. With a heft, he picked up the elder and held him over his head. With that, he ran straight for the barrier.

The elder did not make a sound as the shock hit him at full blast, much to Jorak's pride and respect – his hands had been shocked painfully as well from the current, so for the old Ewok to bear that pain without a single yelp was worthy of respect.

And then… he was through! Dropping the Ewok with no name, Jorak silently lunged for the human who had kept him imprisoned, claws extended and fangs bared. Hearing the thump of a falling body, Paul began to turn around. But there was no time to scream, as Jorak simultaneously jabbed his short right claw into the man's eyes and ripped the man's throat out with his left claw. Blood spattered his fur gloriously, but there was no time to revel in such a perfect kill – he had a job to do.

Bounding over to the control panel, he looked back at the others. "Which one should I push?"

"The blue one, to your right!" Plon suggested.

Doing just that, Jorak grinned victoriously when he heard the barrier fizzle and fade. "Plon, protect the young ones. Kirit, you're with me. Let's go hunting."

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And there we go, another chapter posted. Hope you enjoyed the start to this strange and bloody journey. You don't ever mess with Ewoks. Ever.


End file.
